Sifter and pouring top for cans



March 5, 1935. I E E, R 1,993,364

SIFTER AND POURING TOP FOR CANS Filed Dec. 15, 1930 INVENTOR.

By 157/720 filly/M24 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 5, 1935 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIFTEB, ANDPOURING TOP FOR CANS Elmer G. Ellstrom, Webster Groves, Mo., assignor toSefton National Fibre Can (30., Maplewood, Mo., a corporation ofDelaware Application December 15, 1930, Serial N0. 502,349

4 Claims. (01. 221-62) My invention relates to dredge cans. Fig. 11 is aplan view of the modified can top The object of my present invention isthe prowith the slide member moved to sifter position. vision of adredge can adapted to permit both sift- Fig. 12 is a plan view ofanother modified form ing and pouring out of contents of the can, aswell of can top.

as to close the sifter and pouring openings of the Referring to thedrawing, particularly Figs. l 5

top thereof according to the position thereover to 7, inclusive, whichshow the preferred embodiof a slide member having a single dischargement of my invention, thereference numeral 1 opening. I I designates asuitably shapedpaper, fibre or metal A further object of the inventionresides in the can body having a metallic top closure 2 fitted '10provision of a sifter and pouring top for cans, thereto in such a mannerthat the flat top of the slide type, of such construction as toperclosure material is depressed below the upstandmit of a narrow slidemember having a single ing edge bead 3 thereof. discharge opening beingmounted upon the top In carrying out the aim of my present invenof anarrow, but relatively wide spice, or like tion, 'I provide the fiatportion of themetallic 15 can, the can top proper being provided with acan top 2 with a plurality of suitable sifter 15 pouring opening and aplurality of sifter openopenings 4 and a suitable single pouring openingings. 5, which openings are preferably arranged on A further object ofthe invention is the proopposite sides of the transverse medial linevision of a can top having both a pouring openthereof and furthercentralized on the longi- I ing and a plurality of sifter openings and aslide tudinal medial line thereof, as more clearly shown 20 membertherefor having a single discharge openin Fig. 4 of the drawing. ing andwhich is held from upward and lateral As will be more clearly apparentfrom Figs. displacement by means of opposed guides 4 and 6, I alsoprovide the can top with a pair stamped and formed from the metal of thecan of opposed angular guide members 6, which I, top so as to permit ofreciprocal longitudinal guide members are stamped from the material 25sliding movement thereof only. I of thetop closure 2,]so as to runlongitudinally A still further object of the invention is the thereof,and bent into angular formation over a provision of a dredge can whichpossesses adsuitable metal slide member 7 which is mounted vantages inpoints of simplicity and efiiciency, for longitudinal reciprocalmovement upon the and, at the same time proves itself comparativelyupper surface of the flat portion of the can top 30 inexpensive in costof manufacture. 2. The angular guides 6 prevent upward and With theabove and other objects in view, the lateral displacement of the slidemembenyet perinvention consists in the novel features of conmit easysliding movement of the slide member '7 struction, arrangement andcombination of parts as is manifest, and apparent from the drawing.

hereinafter more fully described and finally The angular guides alsotend to hold the slide 3 pointed out in the claims hereto appended,member or dredge plate down upon and in fric- Referring to theaccompanying drawing formtional slidable contact with the upper face ofing a part of this specification, wherein like the can top. charactersof reference denote similar parts The slide member 7 is provided with asuitable 40 throughout the several views: single discharge opening 8,which opening, as 40 Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a can embodyingclearly shown in Fig. 5, is located centrally of the features of myinvention, the slide member the longitudinal medial line of the slidemember thereof being shown in neutral or closed position. and somewhatto one side of the transverse me- Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the canshowing dial line thereof, andwhich discharge opening, I the slidemember moved into pouring position. when the slide member is moved toone limit of 45 Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the can showing its travel,is adapted to lie over the neutral area the slide member moved intosifter position. 9 of the can top 2 shown for the purpose of illus- Fig.4 is a top plan view of the can top with tration only, to the right ofthe pouring opening the slide member removed. 5, but it may be to theleft of the sifter openings, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slidemember. as is manifest, if the slide or dredge plate here- Fig. 6 is asectional view of the can top taken inafter described should bepositioned in reverse on line 66 of Fig. 4. to that shown in Fig. l. I

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the cantop taken The ends of the slidemember 7 are preferably, on line 7-7 of Fig. l. althoughnot necessarilycurved, as at 10, and Fig. 8 is a plan View of a modified forin of can aportion of each curved end of the slide is turned 55 top with the slidemember removed. upwardly to provide a. suitable finger grip 1 1 Fig. 9is a plan View of the modified can top at each end of the slide member,thus providing with the slidemember in neutral position. convenientmeans for facilitating movement of Fig. 10 is a plan view of themodified can top the slide member in either direction from either withthe slide member moved to pouring position, en thereof.-

Each corner of the slide 7 is provided with an upwardly directedprotrusion, or indentation 12, which are adapted to act as stops forcontact with opposite ends of the guide members 6 to limit travel of theslide 7.

In Fig. 2, the slide member '7 has been moved to the left of its closedposition shown in 'Fig. 1, to bring the discharge opening 8 of the'slidemember '7 into register with the pouring opening 5 of the can top 2,while inFig. .3,-I have shown the slide member '7 as moved to the leftof its pouring position shown in Fig. 2, to bring the discharge opening8 of the slide member 7 into register with the sifter openings 4 of .thecan top 2, and when in this latter position, the neutral area ;13 of'theslide '7 covers and closes the pouring opening'5 while the slide member7 is in its sifter position.

By reference to the modification shown in Figs.

*8 to 11, inclusive, it will be apparent, that no changes have been madeaside from the locations of the sifter. openings designated 4' andpouringopenings' in the can top.

, The slide or dredge plate '7, it'will be understood, can be mountedupon the can top in a reversed position to that shown in Fig. 1,-if sodesired, without affecting the operation thereof, .or the resultsattained. The operation of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive,as well as the additional figures of the drawing, is believed clearlyapparent from the foregoing description.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, the sifteropenings designated 4 and the pouring opening designated 5' are bothlocated intermediate the transverse medial line of the can top 2 and oneend thereof instead of the sifter openings being located on one side ofthe transverse medial line of the can top and the pouring opening uponthe opposite side thereof. The guide members designated 6' are located'midway of the side edges of the can, the same as they are in Fig. L-butin this modification, the guide members are longer, as this typeofsifter andpouring top is adapted only for cans that are extremely wide,to permit of a slide of greater length than the slide in Fig. 1. Theslide in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive is designated 7' while the dischargeopening is designated 8. The finger grips are designated 11' and stopsare designated 12.

Thelocation of the sifter and pouring openings shown in Figs. 8 to 11,inclusive, permits the contents of the can to be sifted or pouredtherefrom to one side of the middle thereof and in this respect differsfrom the can top shown in Fig. 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 12, the sifter and pouring openings,designated 4 and 5" respectively, are located in the can top in the samepositions as they are shown in Fig. 10. The slide, designated '7", isshorter than the slide shown in Fig. 8, the discharge opening thereofbeing designated 8", and the guide members, designated 6", are shorterthan the guides shown in Fig. 8, and are located to one side of thetransverse medial line of the can top instead of straddling the line asin Figs. 1 and 8. The finger grips in this modification are designated11" and the stops are designated 12".

From the foregoing description of the several views of the drawing,illustrating the preferred and modified forms of theinvention, it willbe operations to produce.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readilysuggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

From thefforegoing description, it is evident that a simple deviceforthis purpose has been disclosed, but it is to be understood that I donot desire to restrict, or limit myself to the very detailsof theconstruction shown and described, which is merely illustrative, it beingobvious that changes may be made without conflicting or'ideparting fromthe spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A container having, in combination, a container top having a pair ofopposed guides struck from the top, and a slidable member disposedbetween said guides lying fiat on the container top, said container tophaving a plurality of sifter openings and a single relatively largeopening, said slidable member having a single opening adapted toregister with the single opening when the slidable member is moved fromclosed position in one direction and adapted to register'with the sifteropenings in the container top when moved further in the same direction,upturned finger grips at opposite ends of the slidable memher andupwardly directed indentations formed at the corners of the slidablemember serving as stops to limit movement of the slidable member ineither direction by coming into contact wit the end edges of theaforesaid guides. 2. A container having, in combination, a depressedcontainer top having guide members struck therefrom, and a flat slidablemember lying flat upon the container top between the guide members, saidcontainer top having a plurality of grouped sifter openings and a singlerelatively larger pouring opening, said slidable memher having a singleopening adapted to register with either the single pouring opening orthe sifter openings as selected when the slidable member is moved fromclosed position in one direction therefrom.

3. A container having a flanged'flat top provided with a single outletopening and a group of sifter openings and a flat closure slide having asingle opening lying flat upon the container top and with the slideopening disposed beyond both the sifter openings and the single outletopening when the slide is in closed position and the slide openingadapted to align with either the sifter openings or the single pouringopen- -ing, as selected, when the slide is moved in one direction onlyfrom its closed position.

a. A container having a top closure provided witha depressed fiatsurface having a plurality .of grouped sifter'openings and a singlecircular pouring opening and a flat slide member having a singledischarge opening nearer one end of the slide than the other endthereof, said slide being apparent that I provide an inexpensive sifterand pouring construction for can tops, one which ELMER G. ELLSTROM'.

